Research statement
I am a political scientist specialising in the study of political participation, digital media, and information disorder. I am Deputy Director of the Centre for AI, Trust and Governance at the University of Sydney, where I do interdisciplinary research combining political science, computational methods, and digital studies.
My work investigates how digital infrastructures reshape political mobilisation, opinion dynamics, and democratic participation. I use large-scale data analysis, longitudinal experiments, and predictive modeling to understand the early diffusion of misinformation, the changing structures of political engagement, and the emergence of new forms of collective action.
In addition to empirical research, I contribute to methodological innovation. I am developing approaches for collaborative data collection and ontology building, with a forthcoming book, How to Use Wikibase for Mixed-Methods Research: An Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Approach (Edward Elgar Publishing, How To Research Guides series).
Recent peer-reviewed articles
For a list a complete list of publications, click here.
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2025. Milica Stilinovic, Francesco Bailo, Jonathon Hutchinson. Creative Underspheres and democratic challenges: Exploring the implications of generative AI misuse. New Media & Society. DOI: 10.1177/14614448251338511
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2025. Francesco Bailo. Breaking out of legacy mobilization networks: How the Internet reaches and activates the politically disengaged. Journal of Information Technology & Politics. DOI: 10.1080/19331681.2025.2494116
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2025. Lin Tian, Emily Booth, Francesco Bailo, Julian Droogan, Marian-Andrei Rizoiu. Before It's Too Late: A State Space Model for the Early Prediction of Misinformation and Disinformation Engagement. WWW '25: Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference 2025. DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2502.04655
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2024. Filippo Tronconi, Francesco Bailo. The other side of platform politics. Law-making and online participatory democracy in the Five Star Movement. Swiss Political Science Review. DOI: 10.1111/spsr.12613
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2024. Amelia Johns, Francesco Bailo, Emily Booth, Marian-Andrei Rizoiu. Labelling, shadow bans and community resistance: Did Meta's strategy to suppress rather than remove COVID misinformation and conspiracy theory on Facebook slow the spread?. Media International Australia. DOI: 10.1177/1329878X241236984